I forgot
by gingersnapsxo
Summary: Forgetting can sometimes make everything fall into place.


While re-watching _Body of Proof_ I found myself lingering on moments that could have meant more than they did which resulted in a long drabble. This particular work was based around the episode _Going Viral part 1 & 2_. I have no beta so all mistakes are mine. Please be gentle if you do not enjoy as there is a difference in constructive criticism and just being rude.

I do not own these characters! They are property of ABC and all others responsible for their flawless creation. Though I wouldn't mind borrowing Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan for a bit.

* * *

It had been just under 48 hours since Dr. Kate Murphy was released from Penn General. Despite the fact they had found a cure for the Marburg virus there were symptoms lingering due to the trauma her body had gone through. Appetite wouldn't return to normal for weeks according the CDC specialist, coughing and chest pain would disperse over an unknown time period, and fatigue would plague her for longer than she cared to admit to herself. Unfortunately, those who didn't die from the attack were still over crowding hospitals meaning almost everyone who was capable of standing on their own two feet were being released. Kate Murphy had been one of the first they approached with discharge papers, mostly because of the title in front of her name - doctor. While the woman was one of the best forensic pathologists in her field there wasn't a lot she knew about the particular virus that had taken up residency in her body for days. Did this phase the hospital? Of course not. Though the blonde was more than willing to sign the dotted line so she could rest on memory foam rather than the hard mattress the hospital had to offer.

Megan Hunt delivered Kate Murphy to her home after deciding arguing with a woman who almost died in front of her very eyes probably wasn't the best. Both women were stubborn, everyone knew that, but butting heads while one was barely able to make a short journey to restroom without collapsing seemed rather inappropriate.

"I will be back to check on you later." The ginger proclaimed after helping her boss get settled into the comforts of her bed.

There was no quarrel on the matter seeing as the Chief was asleep before the words had even left red painted lips. _Exhaustion._ The short trip from the hospital to home had worn the blonde out which was to be expected.

Fingers lingered as they wrapped the blankets around the fragile form and lips softly pressed to Kate's temple without much thought. "I'm glad you're okay." Was whispered against skin before Megan let herself out of the rather sizely home.

Due to the large body count, Megan Hunt as well as the rest of the Medical Examiners office were swamped in the days after the cure had been released. People wanted answers. The CDC all but left town as soon as the medication had been administered leaving the residents of Philly to wrap things up. This irritated most everyone since the Center for Disease Control had no issue taking over the case just days before. Long hours, little food, and almost no sleep had most the staff walking around like zombies. No one complained out of respect for those who were suffering losses and dealing with the repercussions of the virus personally; people like Peter and Kate.

Megan all but collapsed behind her desk as she went to work finishing up the paperwork to release bodies to the proper families. Fingers lingered over Dani Alvarez for entirely too long. The girl had been one of their own. A bubbly force to be reckoned with that touched the lives of several in the office. The mistakes made during her employment and the boundaries pushed led to Megan admiring the spitfire personality she had. A brilliant brain taken entirely too soon. "I'm sorry, Dani." Was whispered as black ink made it's way across the documentation.

From that moment on, all Megan could think about was Kate. What if it had been Kate zipped up in a body bag instead of Dani? What if Kate had joined Dani in whatever life was after this one? Seeing the blonde buckle in front of her eyes, in front of the cities population, had caused a reaction the red head never expected. Fingers glided comfortingly through silk strands as tears made way down her own cheeks before the woman had been loaded up into an ambulance and rushed away.

 _Girlfriend._

Although Megan Hunt didn't have many friends of the female variety, she most certainly didn't call the few she had by that title. The odd thing was - the nickname felt right.

However, in the middle of an epidemic and mass panic there was no time to thoroughly scrutinize her own actions. Now things had settled down, and it was hard not to sift through the vast array of emotions that had been barricaded behind a shut and locked door. Days had passed since she laid eyes upon the blonde and there was an ache in her chest that was unexplainable. The pair had gone longer amounts of time without laying eyes on one another before which helped Megan convince herself she was only overly concerned due to the nature of Kate's health. Or it worked for the few days she was swamped with the bodies. That was rational, right? Now that the deceased were all taken care of and the paper work was almost finished there was no hiding from the truth.

Shoulders began to quake lightly as the last file was closed and moved to rest on top of the others. Tears filled green eyes while lips quivered. The weight of the situation was finally thrusting through the damn, flooding Megans senses. For a few moments Megan wept alone in her office. She cried for the lives lost. She cried for the family and friends of the unsuspecting victims. She cried because she almost lost someone she really hadn't ever had. But all moments have to come to an end.

Wiping tears on the back of her hands, Megan gathered her things and began her journey towards the elevator. _Home._ Just thinking the word caused her body to relax. Catching sight of a garment bag laying across Kate's desk stopped her stride. Their clothes had been decontaminated and returned to them as soon as the CDC deemed appropriate, which happened to be after Kate was hospitalized. There was no doubt the blonde would want her designer duds taking up their rightful place in her closet.

"You're not even here and you're making things difficult." Thankfully, everyone else had retired for the evening leaving the red head alone. If another person had been lingering there would no doubt be judgement over Megan talking to a person who wasn't around.

Megan grabbed the garment bag, made a call to her mother to check on Lacey, before setting herself in route to Kate Murphys. Along the way she realized the other woman probably hadn't consumed much food over the past few days which led to an impromptu stop at the blondes favorite italian restaurant that was no where near on the way.

"Megan?!"

The voice caused the woman's eyes to widen. Quickly handing over the card to pay for the dinner that had been called in she turned to face him. "Aiden!"

In an instant everything began to make sense causing a rather large smile to spread across the doctors face, confusing the man she had been dating for quite some time now. They hadn't spoken since before the virus took hold despite the mans attempts to get in touch with the fiery medical examiner. In fact, they hadn't spoke much since Lacey was diagnosed with diabetes.

"I've been trying to reach you! Is everything okay? I saw Kate..."

"Kate!" The name reminded Megan why she had stopped at the restaurant to begin with. "I need to go, Aiden. I'll call and explain it all later." She paused after gathering the bag of food from the counter and signing the credit card slip. "You're a great guy, Aiden." And he was. Probably the best guy that Megan had ever met in all her years. Good looking, charming, kind, funny... everything a woman would want in a man.

Aiden narrowed his eyes skeptically and took a step forward. "Are you... breaking up with me?"

Megan Hunt was a lot of things but one thing she refused to become was dishonest. Fingers curled around the paper handles in an attempt to stable herself for whatever response he would have to what she was about to say. Did she even need to say it? They were great together! Truly! But there was no long term for them. "You've been amazing and I really like you..."

"...but you like someone else more." Aiden interrupted.

"This isn't about anyone but us." Most would argue that fact but they would be wrong. "We want different things in life. We're at two different stages in our lives."

"So it's back to age again. I told you that I like older women." He pleaded with a hand on her bicep.

Megan placed a soft kiss upon his cheek before shaking her head. "You'll find another older woman that wants what you do. Children, marriage, a house in the suburbs. That's just not me." It never had been. Megan already had her perfect child as well as city life and work. Boy did she love the excitement of her work even if it got in the way of personal plans from time to time.

* * *

Kate Murphy drifted in and out of consciousness on her plush leather couch wrapped in blanket. Even though the fever was all but gone the chills still wrecked havoc on her body. Sweat pants that previously hugged her curves perfectly almost hung off her hips, thank goodness for draw strings, and a once form fitting white long sleeved cotton shirt encased her upper half. Golden strands that formerly shimmered in the sun were piled lifelessly in an attempt to keep it from falling in her eyes during coughing fits. The exciting lives of Temperance Brennan and Seely Booth were failing miserably at keeping blue eyes alert as the minutes ticked by.

The past few days consisted of sleep, showering, attempting to eat, vomiting said food, and coughing which is why Kate refused to allow anyone to visit. Her brother took the news the hardest since he hadn't been able to get into the city during what could have been the womans final hours, but eventually he understood. Kate wasn't a woman that liked others to see her vulnerable and basically all of Philly had... she needed time to get over that.

Knocking on the door roused her from what was about to be a night sleeping on the couch. Glancing to the clock on the wall, Kate took note of what time it was which only baffled her more as to who would come over unannounced. Her neighbors would be engaged in evening activities with their families, her brother was in another state, her parents another country, her friends had been ordered to stay away and despite the medias assurance the virus wasn't contagious anymore they all agreed to keep themselves healthy. After contemplating Kate decided whoever it would would retire from trying to get inside and leave soon enough.

Too bad that wasn't the case.

The sound of her lock turning caused blue eyes to open wide with panic. No one had keys to her house! Before Kate could push herself into a seated position a voice called out from the hall resulting in her eyes rolling.

"Don't get up on my account. It's okay. No big deal. I just drove across town to check on you is all." Megan toed off her heels by the front door before making her way to the kitchen. "I brought you something to eat."

Kate laid back down trying to decide if she was amused or annoyed by the sudden intrusion. It seemed as though the older woman was making herself at home for the time being which prompted a flutter in her stomach and a small surge in her heart.

"And don't say you're not hungry because I doubt you've eaten much." The red head sat her purse and the food on the counter. After turning her cellphone off so they wouldn't be bothered by anyone or anything, she went to work plating food.

As soon as the containers were open the smell that permeated the house was one Kate recognized immediately. "Did you go to Il Pittore?!"

The sound of Kate's voice cause both women to pause. It had been days since anything had slipped past her lips which left her tone soft and words weak but there was a definite scratch to it that caused Megans heart to clench. That voice was exactly how Kate sounded before the virus almost pulled her to the other side. It was easier to pretend Kate was perfectly okay when the woman was out of sight, and sound apparently. Unwelcomed tears began to flood the gingers eyes but she refused to allow them to fall. Focusing on the task at hand, Megan arranged the dishes on a tray along with a glass of water before making her way to the living room.

"I wasn't sure what you would be in the mood for so I got a few options. Baked ricotta, red & golden beets, arugula salad..." as she rounded the couch and was able to actually look at Kate the tears decided to have a mind of their own. After placing the tray of food on the coffee table, Megan rid herself of the blazer she wore to work while ignoring the offending tears. "There's banana cake and that lemon tarté in the fridge for later." It wasn't often that Megan indulged in sweets but for some reason every time she shared a meal with Kate the two ended up splitting a dessert.

Pulling her feet underneath her body, Kate forced herself to sit up sideways so she was facing Megan. Something was clearly the matter with her employee which was leaving her feeling incredibly unsettled. Slender fingers grabbed shorter ones giving a gentle tug so that Megan would perch herself upon the couch. "Look at me." With her free hand she gingerly touched the other womans cheek to force her to do so. "I'm right here." A small smile cracked on the corners of her pale lips. "I'm okay." Kate couldn't help herself when she began to wipe the tears from Megans cheeks. They past the friendly touching phase whenever Megan helped load her onto the ambulance.

Megan felt as if her heart was going to explode from the intense emotions pumping throughout her body. On one hand she was elated to see that Kate was still very much alive despite the body count in her morgue, but on the other she looked so incredibly weak which was heartbreaking. She should have been there to help her. There were plenty of other people at work that could have done her job the past few days. The touch of Kates hand was cold which only triggered a few more tears to slip out. Warm fingers wrapped around the slender wrist of the blonde, dragging those cold fingers over to her lips to kiss the palm of the other woman's hand. There was a soft gasp that floated through the air between the woman but neither knew who it came from, or if that detail even mattered.

"I forgot about Aiden." Lowering Kates hand to her lap, Megan kept a firm hold on both of them while she forced herself to look into the blues she adored so much. "He never even crossed my mind."

Shifting uncomfortably, the blonde tried to pull her hands from those they were encased in but no avail. Glancing down it was startling to see Megan grasping onto her as if she were a lifeline. Somehow they had crossed the line between colleagues to unspoken friends without even noticing. "I'm sure he'll forgive you, Megan. You were busy saving the city. Saving lives." It was rather bothersome to talk due to the itch in her throat but water could fix that. As soon as she had her hands back.

"No." Megan shook her head. "You're not listening to me. All I thought about from the moment we found out it was an epidemic was Lacey..." Releasing one of Kate's hands, Megan placed her knuckle under Kate's chin and forced her to look at her. "...and you. I thought about you even before you got sick, Kate!" Her fingers trailed down the blondes jawline before resting on her neck right over her pulse-point. It was nice to feel the other woman's heart was racing just as much as her own.

"Okay." Kate moved her free hand to gently hold Megans wrist.

"I forget about Aiden." The words seemed to be the woman's mantra in the moment. As much as Kate wanted to tell Megan to stop saying it she knew they were important. "I didn't even think of him after everything cleared up. I didn't think to call him, to check on him, to tell him I was okay. He was out of town but I didn't think to inform him. I ignored his calls and texts when he found out from the news. Kate, when I got done tonight the first thing I thought to do was bring your clothes and favorite food." Megan couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the nights events. Laugh at her own actions. Which left Kate baffled. "When I was picking up dinner I ran into Aiden. I didn't even think to ask him why he was in one of the most romantic italian restaurants in the city because I didn't care. I didn't care because I just wanted to get to you."

"Megan..." Kate wasn't sure what this all meant which was slightly frustrating. "...does this rambling have a point?" She teased with a weak smirk.

"I care about you." Megans words were firm but gentle trying to get her point across.

"I care about you too. You're one of the most -"

"I care about you more than I care about Aiden. More than I care about anyone I've dated."

Megans words suddenly began to sink into Kate. Blue eyes that were dull moments ago seemed to sparkle again.

"And it's not just because of you almost dying of Marburg, though it did help put things perspective." The fingers resting over the blondes pulse point rounded to the back of her neck, curling around the column gently. "This has been building for a long time. I'm tired of fighting it."

All Kate could do in the moment was nod. Everything had been immensely overwhelming the past week. There was no questioning or denying how she felt for Megan but words didn't seem like enough. Especially with everything they had been through together. "Okay." Was finally whispered through a smile.

Megan couldn't help but smile warmly as she moved to press her forehead against Kates. "Okay." She returned the whisper. "Next time you almost die on me I'm going to kill you myself."

The laughter that escaped Kates lips was silent but enough to make Megans face light up. "Yes, Dr. Hunt."

For the next hour the two picked at the many dishes Megan brought while watching Netflix. When the red head disappeared with the tray in hand and returned 20 minutes later dressed in a pair of Kate's pajama shorts and a tank top, the blonde couldn't help but speak up.

"Home." Simple and to the point. "This. You. Us. Feels like home." There was probably a more eloquent way of phrasing it but between her scattered brain, fatigue, and the sight of Megans long delicious legs she felt rather unintelligent.

"Let's go to bed." Megan turned off the television, took the blanket from Kates body and folded it, before reaching her hands out to help the blonde to her feet. "I have the day off tomorrow so we can sleep in and then get you somewhere for brunch. Fresh air will do you good." Megan rolled on the balls of her feet to be level with Kate before pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her lips. "I love you, too."

Kate rolled her eyes and started to walk backwards towards the bedroom, pulling Megan along with her. It was impossible to hide the blush that splashed across her cheeks and for the first time she didn't mind someone seeing her so incredibly vulnerable. If Megan could handle her like this then the ginger deserved every thing she wanted. "What makes you so sure that I love you?" A brow arched curiously as she stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"Have I ever been wrong?" Megan challenged with a smirk. Placing her hands on Kate's waist, she spun the blonde around and gave her a gentle nudge to start up the stairs. "You can deny it when you feel better."


End file.
